\ 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


Q625.23 

P84S 


To  all  forwarders  or  receivers  of  valuable  freight  or*  express   matter,  etc 
To  all  "who  either  send  or  receive!Nbtes,Cheeks^rafts^Valuable  papers  or  letters 
To  allwho  desire  to  see  such,  a  radical  change  in  the 


INSUKE  SAEETYTO  I,IFE,I.IMB^NBPIIOPEIITY 

Jjettliem  thoughtfully  read  AI^I*  tierein  printed  arid  carefully  exsunine  the 


so  plainly  illustrate  the  means  oFfcrin^ng  about  the 

sorw*  5l.«esii»©a3-Cln«urB.«ie 

^5  ^—  * 

Areal  remedy  id  ed:  hsincl  at  last 


A  number  of  earnest  and  able  gentlemen,  representing  business  interests  from. 

toBUFFALO  andNEWTORBL,  from.  JACKSONVILLE  to 

emd 


CHICAGO  toSANFRANCISCO 

men  experienced  in  edl  m&tters  pertaining  toS  sdJroads 
have  organized  aCOMPANV  to  pxj.sh.this 


And  -whoever  etida  in  placing  these 


in.  use  is  not  only  shrevyol  in  a  business  sense—  certain,  of*  pecxmi 


directly  Sliding  to  save  and  protect 


INDESTRUCTIBLE  STEEL  TUBULAR  CAR, 


This  invention  relates  to  an  INDESTRUCTIBLE  STEEL  TUBULAR  RAILWAY  CAR,  for  which 
many  advantages  of  a  peculiar  and  invaluable  nature  are  claimed. 

The  framework  is  of  steel  tubing,  so  arranged  as  to  withstand  the  severest  shocks  known 
to  the  list  of  railroad  accidents. 

It  is  constructed  in  the  following  manner :  Six  longitudinal  tubes,  possessing  great 
strength,  are  held  in  position  as  shown  on  page  49,  Fig.  4,  and  thoroughly  surrounded  and 
interlaced  with  transverse  tubular  steel  ribs  or  bands,  a  portion  of  which  are  rectangular, 
conforming  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the  car,  and  a  portion  complete  circles  or  rings.  These 
ribs  or  bands  are  placed  at  suitable  distances  along  the  longitudinal  tubes,  usually  in  groups 
of  three,  (see  page  25,  Fig.  1,)  intersecting  each  other  and  also  the  longitudinal  tubes  at 
frequent  intervals,  and  are  firmly  clasped,  riveted,  or  brazed  together,  forming,  substantially, 
an  integral  network  of  steel,  capable  of  resisting  an  end  pressure  of  several  thousand  times 
its  own  weight,  and  presenting  the  arc  or  crowning  arch  of  a  circle  along  the  sides,  top,  and 
bottom  of  the  car,  with  strength  sufficient  to  withstand  accidental  side  thrusts  from  whatever 
source  they  may  come. 

This  substantial  network  of  steel  tubing  supports  the  body  of  the  car,  and  is,  practically, 
uncrushable,  so  that  the  passenger's  life  is  saved,  no  matter  how  serious  the  collision  may  be. 
But,  in  order  to  materially  lessen  the  force  and  suddenness  of  the  concussion  usual  in  railroad 
accidents,  a  series  of  shorter  and  smaller  tubes,  supporting  the  platforms,  are  placed  in  axial 
line  with  the  large  longitudinal  tubes  and  fitted  telescopically  within  them,  each  of  the  inner 
ends  abutting  against  a  strong  coiled  spring.  (See  page  37,  Fig.  3.)  These  smaller  tubes 
forming  a  portion  of  the  platform  framework,  are  placed  in  proper  position  within  the  afore- 
mentioned large  tubes,  and  a  pin  or  bolt  passed  through  each,  of  sufficient  strength  to  with- 
stand all  strains  incident  to  drawing  or  coupling;  but  when  a  collision  occurs,  the  unusual 
force  shears  off  these  pins,  and  the  smaller  tubes  supporting  the  platforms  are  forced  inwardly, 
cushioning  against  the  strong  coiled  springs  within  the  large  longitudinal  tubes,  and  thus 
break  much  of  the  force  of  the  otherwise  terrible  shock ;  and  though  the  outside  platforms 
may  be  crushed,  the  body  of  the  car  containing  the  passengers  remains  intact,  and  their  lives 
are  of  course  preserved.  To  afford  additional  security,  and  provide  against  accidental  fires, 
which  so  frequently  add  to  the  horrors  of  railway  accidents,  the  covering  and  finish  of  the  car 
is  made  of  properly-prepared  asbestos-board,  or  other  non-combustible  material,  so  that  in  no 
event  can  these  coaches  be  either  crushed  or  burned.  Thus  we  have  a  car  absolutely  safe  to 
travel  in,  and,  besides,  one  possessing  unusual  advantages  for  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of  the 
"Travelling  Public,"  being  outwardly  light  and  graceful  in  appearance,  and  finished  interially 
with  every  convenience  known  to  modern  science.  The  greatly-improved  trucks  on  which 
tin's  car  is  carried  are  constructed  with  independently-acting  springs  for  each  wheel,  traveling 
easily  and  with  unusual  smoothness  and  silence  over  the  road,  the  wearing  points  being 
provided  with  practical  shields  or  dust-fenders,  which  greatly  lessen  the  usual  friction,  and 
correspondingly  increase  their  life  and  efficiency. 

The  devices  for  heating  the  car  in  winter  and  cooling  it  in  summer;  the  arrangement  for 
immediately  regulating  any  and  all  windows;  the  simple  provision  for  converting  the  sleeper 
into  a  series  of  apartments  or  independent  staterooms;  the  unmistakable  manner  in  which  all 
stations  are  announced;  the  emergency  brakes,  by  which  passengers  themselves  can  prevent  the 
car  from  plunging  over  an  embankment,  even  though  under  full  headway,  and  the 
improvements  for  ventilating  and  properly  distributing  hot  and  cold  air,  are 


special  features  of  this  invaluable  invention.  What  traveler  does  not  know  that  the  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  parlor  and  sleeping  cars  are  filled,  sometimes  to  overflowing,  with  eager  passengers, 
intent  on  securing  additional  comfort  only?  And  if  we  can  give  them  superior  comforts,  in 
addition  to  the  incomparable  advantage  of  an  absolute  assurance  of  life,  is  it  not  fair  to  assume 
that  they  will  quickly  and  fully  appreciate  the  effort,  eventually  leading  to  a  general  demand 
that  this  class  of  cars  be  placed  on  the  whole  vast  system  of  railroads?  The  advantages  of  these 
cars  to  the  railroads  themselves  are  also  great.  The  easily-acting  independent  springs,  yielding 
readily  to  all  irregularities  of  the  road  and  greatly  lessening  the  usual  concussion  on  the 
tracks,  will  of  course  materially  lessen  the  necessary  wear,  and,  as  is  obvious,  will  also  greatly 
lessen  the  cost  of  keeping  up  repairs  along  the  line;  and  in  case  of  collision  or  other  accident 
the  difference  in  point  of  repairs  to  both  rolling  stock  and  tracks,  damages  to  passengers,  &c., 
is  simply  incalculable.  These  important  considerations  alone  are  seemingly  sufficient  to 
warrant  a  general  introduction  of  this  class  of  vehicles. 

This  wonderfully-complete  series  of  inventions,  being  protected  by  not  less  than  nine 
comprehensive  Letters  Patent,  unquestionably  assures  a  monopoly  to  the  parties  controlling 
them,  and  the  profits  to  the  Parent  Company  is  a  matter  of  easy  calculation.  For  instance: 
computing,  not  from  theory,  but  from  actual  figures,  we  find  an  average  of  over  twenty  passengers 
to  the  car,  paying  two  dollars  and  upwards  for  the  luxury  of  riding  in  a  parlor  or  sleeping 
coach — each  car  earning  forty  dollars  and  upwards  per  day — many  lines  running  every  day 
in  the  year;  but  excluding  all  Sunday  traffic  and  all  rates  above  two  dollars,  and  we  still  have 
considerably  over  twelve  thousand  dollars  as  the  annual  earnings  of  each  individual  car;  and 
as  there  are  more  than  ten  thousand  in  constant  use,  the  conclusion  is  too  plain  for  argument. 
But  figuring  from  a  wholly  different  basis,  we  find  an  entire  Western  city,  (Pullman,  111.,)  and 
several  colossal  private  fortunes  besides,  growing  out  of  the  net  earnings  of  one  car  company* 
while  Mr.  Wagner,  of  a  rival  line,  retaining  only  a  one-tenth  interest  in  his  inventions, 
accumulated  four  millions  of  dollars  within  fifteen  years. 

These  figures  point  unerringly  to  the  advantages  and  immensity  of  such  a  business;  and 
by  entering  so  broad  a  field  at  a  time  when  there  is  almost  unlimited  travel,  and  with  so 
many  other  points  in  our  favor — with  an  immense  demand  already  assured,  it  would  seem 
that  nothing  short  of  the  grossest  mismanagement  could  make  our  enterprise  less  than  a 
marvel  of  success;  and  to  add  to  and  doubly  insure  these  certainties,  a-nd  make  the  business 
complete  in  every  sense,  it  is  suggested  that  the  company  controlling  the  inventions  should 
also  hold  titles  to  their  factory  buildings,  together  with  a  suitable  number  of  cottages  for 
their  own  workmen,  as  this  precaution  assures  a  steadier  and  unquestionably  better  class  of 
operatives  than  the  average  run  of  itinerant  mechanics;  and  as  every  move  in  this  direction 
adds  to  the  realty  of  the  company,  nothing  can  be  lost  by  adopting  the  suggestion. 

The  necessity  of  providing  a  safety-car  of  some  kind  is  plainly  seen  by  looking  over  the 
figures  furnished  by  the  Bureau  of  "Vital  Statistics,"  and  various  life  and  accident  insurance 
companies,  showing  the  remarkable  death-rate  from  railroad  accidents. 

Additional  figures,  of  a  highly  interesting  character,  showing  the  almost  startling  loss  of 
Human  Life  and  the  immense  destruction  of  cars  by  railway  accidents,  as  well  as  the  gigantic 
proportions  of  the  Car-Building  Industry,  are  being  prepared  by  a  competent  Government 
official,  and  will  be  furnished  later. 


CHARTER    PRIVILEGES. 


The  following  quotations  from  the  Charter  granted  to  this  Company  show  how  broad  and 
comprehensive  are  its  powers : 

"ARTICLE  2.  That  the  purposes  for  which  said  company  is  formed  is  to  construct,  or  to 
have  constructed,  railway  cars;  to  manufacture  machinery  and  implements;  to  buy,  sell,  or 
lease  all  rights,  privileges,  and  concessions  connected  with  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  railroad 
cars,  and  also  to  manufacture,  sell,  and  dispose  of  every  thing,  article,  and  appliance  in  any- 
wise connected  with  the  management  and  operation  of  railroads,  and  also  to  furnish  railroad 
supplies,  and  generally  to  transact  any  business  appertaining  to  railroad  matters. 

'•'  ARTICLE  3.  That  the  said  company  shall  have  the  power  to  purchase  and  hold,  or  receive 
by  gift,  in  addition  to  the  personal  property  of  the  company,  any  real  estate  necessary  for  the 
transaction  of  the  corporate  business,  and  also  to  purchase  or  accept  any  real  estate  in  payment, 
or  part  payment,  of  any  debt  due  to  the  company,  and  sell  realty  for  corporate  purposes." 

Many  other  privileges  and  advantages  are  granted  to  the  company  by  this  broad  and 
comprehensive  document,  while  article  ninth  shows — 

"That  no  stockholder  shall  be  personally  or  individually  liable  for  any  debt,  contract,  or 
obligation,  or  liability  of  said  corporation." 


t 


IFTHE 


SAFETY-CARS 

Herein  described  were  in  GENERAL  USE,  the  harrowing  portion 

of  the  quotations  below  need  not  have  been  written.    Scores 

of  human  beings  now  dead  would  have  been  protected, 

and  one-quarter  of  the  money  value  of  property 

destroyed  would  build  the  LARGEST  and 

FINEST  FACTORY  IN  THE  WORLD ! 

.a  *- — gj-.o^o-tg- — '  p. 

Quotations  like  the  following,  from  reports  after  railroad  accidents,  plainly  show  the 
pressing  necessity  of  SAFETY-CARS: 

' '  The  work  of  identifying  the  dead  progresses  slowly.  The  body  of  a  man  was  found  whose 
arms  and  legs  had  been  burnt  off,  and  whose  distorted  face  bore  evidence  of  the  terrible  agony  he 
suffered.  Another  was  found  under  a  pile  of  trusses  and  rods ;  the  head  was  burned  to  a  cinder 
and  every  particle  of  clothing  had  been  destroyed.  Two  children  were  taken  from  their  mother's 
arms  near  the  end  of  the  coach ;  she  asked  that  they  be  saved  for  their  father's  sake.  Passengers 
tried  to  lift  the  woman  from  the  burning  wreck,  but  could  not,  for  she  was  wedged  beneath  the 
broken  seats ;  a  moment  after  her  dress  took  fire,  and  she  was  burned  to  death  before  their  eyes. 
L,ow  and  stifled  moans  of  suffering  and  terrible  anguish  could  be  heard  on  every  side.  But  many 
who  perished  were  killed  outright,  the  car  being  telescoped  at  both  ends." 

' '  Two  passenger  trains  in  different  parts  of  the  country  were  consumed  by  fire  recently  in  a 
single  day,  subsequent  to  collisions,  and  a  number  of  human  beings  burnt  to  death.  A  few  days 
before  a  similar  accident,  involving  the  burning  of  passengers,  took  place  on  a  Southern  road,  and 
not  long  previous  occupants  of  a  sleeping-car  in  Canada  were  forced  to  flee  for  their  lives  from  their 
blazing  beds  to  the  snow-covered  ground,  and  shiver  in  the  bleak  winds  until  delayed  relief  came. ' ' 

"A  man  from  West  Virginia  was  in  the  smoker  with  his  two  sons.  On  the  spot  where  they 
sat  was  found  a  pulpy  mass  of  charred  remains,  burned  out  of  all  resemblance  to  the  human  form. 
His  wife  and  daughters  escaped,  but  were  frantic  when  they  learned  that  the  husband  and  sons  had 
met  with  such  an  agonizing  and  terrible  death.  There  was  no  use  to  attempt  to  recognize  the  dead, 
they  were  burned  so  horribly.  There  were  twelve  masses  of  blackened  pulp  found,  but  no  one  knew 
who  they  were,  all  clothing  and  papers  being  consumed.  Another  was  pinioned  between  burning 
timbers — could  not  be  rescued,  and  was  entirely  consumed  in  sight  of  the  agonized  survivors." 

' '  Scores  of  hands  are  endeavoring  to  clear  the  track.  Here  and  there  could  be  seen  spots  of 
blood  and  pieces  of  half-burned  and  frozen  human  flesh,  and  workmen  were  finding  portions  of 
bodies  in  the  burning  wreck.  All  mail,  express,  and  baggage  cars  were  burned,  involving  large 
sums  of  money.  Nine  shapeless  trunks  of  human  beings  were  stretched  out  in  a  row,  like  so  many 
charred  logs,  none  of  whom  could  be  recognized,  and  near  them  a  mass  of  flesh  and  bone,  that  may 
have  been  parts  of  the  bodies  of  a  dozen  different  human  beings." 

And  all  this  within  a  period  of  sixty  days ;  and  much  still  that  we  know  little  or  nothing 
about,  as  the  following  significant  quotation  in  relation  to  another  accident  plainly  shows : 

"The  names  of  the  killed  could  not  be  ascertained,  as  the  men  connected  with  the  road  refuse  to 
give  any  information  whatever.  But  five  bodies  from  the  wreck  were  brought  in  last  evening,  and 
several  of  the  badly  maimed  passed  through  en  route  to  the  hospital  for  treatment." 

It  is  not  pleasant  to  recall  this  ghastly  record,  and  it  would  not  even  have  been  referred  to 
but  for  the  fact  that  A  PRACTICAL  REMEDY  is  at  hand  in  the  form  of  cars 
which  cannot  be  DESTROYED  by  ACCIDENT ! 


12 


Such  a  total  wreckage  as  the  one  illustrated  on  page  13,  involving  the  sickening  loss  of 
human  life,  the  maiming  and  roasting  of  helpless  victims — hopelessly  pinioned  beneath  the 
unrecognizable  wreck  of  what  were  once  fair  samples  of  the  cars  now  in  daily  use,  could  NOT 
have  taken  place,  had  these  INDESTRUCTIBLE  cars  been  on  the  road  instead. 

Is  it  not  high  time,  therefore,  that  this  most  necessary  change  should  be  made  ? 


13 


OHIO.— THE    RECENT    TERRIBLE    RAILROAD    DISASTER    NEAR    REPUBLIC  —  SEARCHING    THE    RUINS    OF    THE    WRECK. 

FOR    THE    BODIES    OF    VICTIMS. 

Farm  A.  PHOTOGRAPH  BY  c.  D.  Sfiuocf: —  Su  PAQE  37o 


STOCK  CERTIFICATES. 


The  regular  Stock  Certificate  of  this  Company  (a  fac  simile  of  which  is  shown  on  the 
opposite  page)  is  printed  on  the  finest  quality  of  bank  note  or  bond  paper,  and,  as  is  plainly 
stated  on  its  surface,  is  fully  paid  and  absolutely  unassessible,  so  that  in  all  cases  the  purchase 
price  is  the  final  one,  and  no  one  in  anywise  familiar  with  the  comprehensive  system  of  patents 
on  which  the  Company  is  based  can  question  the  value  of  its  capital  stock  as  a  safe  and  paying 
investment ;  its  value  being  derived  not  alone  from  the  monopoly  guaranteed  by  such  Letters 
Patent  or  the  great  ability  and  energy  of  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise,  but  largely  from  the 
fact  that  the  time  is  fully  ripe  for  some  radical  change  in  the  old-fashioned  theory  or  methods 
of  car-building — a  change  which  will  render  traveling  by  rail  at  least  reasonably  safe. 

The  alarming  frequency  of  frightful  railway  disasters  during  the  last  few  months  has 
fully  awakened  the  People  to  the  necessity  of  protecting  themselves  against  this  seemingly  wanton 
destruction  of  life  and  property  ;  and,  to  enforce  some  practical  change,  has  become  substanti- 
ally an  imperative  command  ;  for  the  law-making  powers,  operating  in  harmony  with  the 
people's  desire,  have  in  some  States  already  compelled  the  abandonment  of  the  fatal  fire-trap 
heretofore  in  general  use ;  which  legislation  makes  room  for  the  adoption  of  one  important 
feature  in  this  chain  of  patent  claims;  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  other  legislation  will  soon 
compel  a  general  adoption  of  this  class  of  safety  railway  coaches,  both  for  tiavellers  and  for 
mail  and  express  matter.  And  thus  even  the  misfortunes  of  the  past  will  inure  to  the  benefit 
of  the  living  through  the  agency  of  this  Great  Car  Company ;  but  even  without  the  stimulating 
influence  of  special  laws,  the  natural  business  rivalry  between  the  Great  Trunk  Lines  of  the 
country  will, beyond  question,  bring  these  safety  cars  into  general  use:  for  instance,  the  Penn- 
sylvania Central  should  equip  its  peerless  system  of  roads  with  cars  unquestionably  safe  to 
travel  in,  cars  in  which  passengers  would  have  an  absolute  assurance  of  life — would  not  all 
sensible  persons  who  travel  give  themselves  the  benefit  of  this  precaution,  and  purchase  tickets 
on  this  already  popular  road  ?  and  if  so,  in  simple  defence  of  their  own  monied  interest,  is  it 
not  easy  to  see  that  other  roads  must  of  necessity  follow  suit?  And  can  any  one  question  the 
fact,  that  the  general  change  certain  to  follow  would  give  this  Great  Car  Company  an  untold 
amount  of  paying  business  in  supplying  the  immense  demand  thus  forced  upon  it?  and  is  it 
not  equally  certain  that  this  vast  increase  in  its  manufacturing  business  would  give  to  the 
Company's  Capital  Stock  such  a  wholesome  boom  as  to  command  a  handsome  premium  in  the 
open  market?  And,  therefore,  considering  the  subject  from  a  purely  business  point  of  view, 
those  already  investing  believe  that  a  Certificate  in  this  Company  is  as  safe  as  a  Government 
Bond,  and  vastly  more  profitable  to  the  fortunate  purchaser. 

For  further  information,   address    "STEEL  TUBULAR  CAR  COMPANY,"   Post-office 
box  679,  Washington,  D.  C. 


//* 


ENDORSEMENTS. 


Capt.  THOS.  W.  SYMOXS,  Engineer  Corps,  U.  S.  Army,  says : 

"The  strength  of  the  car  arises  from  the  application  of  the  well-known  engineering  facts 
concerning  the  superiority  of  the  hollow  cylindrical  pillar  or  tube  over  any  other  disposition 
of  material  to  resist  disrupting  forces  similar  to  those  which  would  assail  a  railroad  car  in  case 
of  accident.  The  longitudinal  strength  of  the  car  to  resist  the  telescoping  effort  of  a  collision 
is  given  by  six  steel  tubes  running  the  entire  length  of  the  car.  If  these  are  of  the  proper 
quality  of  steel  and  of  sufficient  weight,  and  bound  together  by  steel  ribs,  as  in  the  model,  I 
am  convinced  that  under  no  circumstances  could  it  be  telescoped  or  crushed  longitudinally. 
The  encircling  steel  ribs,  beside  aiding  to  develop  the  strength  of  the  longitudinal  tubes,  would 
have  a  mission  of  their  own — to  prevent  the  car  from  being  crushed  in  case  it  were  thrown 
from  the  track  and  rolled  down  an  embankment;  this  I  believe  they  would  do  with  complete 
success,  and  would  be  fully  capable  of  resisting  any  strain  which  could  thus  be  brought  upon  it. 

"Besides  the  great  strength  given  to  the  car  by  this  rigid  tubular  framework  of  steel,  the 
telescopic  spring  buffers  will  materially  limit  the  damage  to  the  car  and  its  inmates  in  case  of 
collision. 

"  I  can  see  no  reason  why  the  cost  or  weight  of  cars  constructed  upon  the  plan  proposed 
should  materially  exceed  those  of  cars  of  the  ordinary  kind,  while  there  can  be  no  possible 
doubt  of  their  vastly  superior  strength  and  the  safety  of  their  contents." 

General  DUANE,  Chwf  Engineer  U.  S.  Army,  says : 

"  I  have  examined  a  model  of  the  car  referred  to  in  the  above  report.  The  design  displays 
great  ingenuity  and  skill  in  selection  and  arrangement  of  material,  and  I  am  satisfied  that 
Captain  Syraons  is  fully  justified  in  his  conclusions  as  to  the  strength  and  endurance  of  the 
structure." 

In  the  report  of  A.  G.  MENOCAL,  Chief  Engineer  U.  S.  Navy,  the  following  language  is  used  : 
"I  have  examined  the  various  ingenious  and  interesting  devices  of  your  invention  for  the 
construction  and  improvement  of  railway  cars.     I  have  been  particularly  impressed  with  your 
design  for  the  framing  of  the  car  as  represented  in  the  drawings  and  specifications.     I  bel. 
that  the   form    and  disposition    of  the  transverse  frames   and   their  combination  with 
longitudinal  tubes  present  such  a  judicious  disposition  of  material  as  will  insure  the  greatest 
strength." 

Col.  J.  A.  MARROW,  a  man  of  unusually  extensive  experience  both  in  military  and  civil 
life,  says : 

"  I  have  been  a  practical  railroad  man  for  over  twenty  years ;  have  personally  witnessed 
the  sacrifice  of  many  lives  and  the  destruction  of  much  valuable  property,  and  have  often  seen 
and  spoken  of  the  necessity  of  safety  cars. 

"  In  point  of  economy  alone,  I  believe  that  it  would  amply  pay  railroad  companies  to  adopt 
some  saving  measure,  though  I  have  never  before  seen  presented  a  FEASIBLE  plan  for  accom- 
plishing the  hoped-for  result.  But  I  have  carefully  examined  your  invention,  and  am  partic- 
ularly impressed  with  the  practical  manner  in  which  you  have  combined  the  transverse  and 
longitudinal  tubes  in  your  framework,  and  fully  believe  that  a  car  constructed  on  this  principle 


22 


will  possess  sufficient  resisting  strength  to  overcome  any  destroying  force  which  can  be  brought 
against  it  in  collisions  or  other  railroad  accidents;  and  your  proposition  to  use  non-combustible 
material  in  place  of  the  inflammable  matter  now  in  common  use  for  covering  and  finishing 
cars  will  relieve  passengers  of  their  greatest  horror — that  of  being  roasted  alive  while  traveling, 
and  will  make  your  structure  all  that  you  claim  it  to  be — absolutely  a  safe  means  of  transit." 

Maj.  Gen.  WILCOX,  who  was  sent  abroad  to  represent  the  United  States  Government  at  the 
French  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  who  spent  much  time  among  the  ablest  foreign  engineers, 
says: 

"I  have  carefully  examined  the  model  of  an  indestructible  car,  patented  by  J.  W.  POST,  and 
believe  that  the  disposition  of  the  metal  used  in  the  framework  is  such  as  to  produce  the 
greatest  possible  resisting  force.  The  immense  strength  of  metal  in  a  tubular  form  is  broadly 
conceded  by  all  mechanical  and  scientific  engineers,  and  the  inventor  seems  to  have  adhered 
to  the  tubular  principle  not  only  in  using  tubes  almost  exclusively  in  his  construction,  but 
carefully  arranging  and  grouping  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  one  great  skeleton 
tube  in  form  of  a  completed  car;  and  his  claims  as  to  its  great  resisting  power  in  case  of 
collision,  or  other  accidents  common  to  railroads,  I  believe  to  be  fully  sustained.  I  believe, 
also,  that  cars  built  upon  his  plan  would  prove  cheaper  in  the  end  than  as  now  constructed." 

The  following  fully  explains  itself: 
"J.  W.  POST: 

"Mv  DEAR  SIR:  I  have  been  a  practical  railroad  engineer,  master  mechanic,  and  car 
builder  for  thirty  years;  have  had  great  experience  in  the  purchase  and  use  of  all  materials 
needed  in  the  construction  and  finish  of  railwa}-  cars;  am  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
tensile,  lateral,  and  resisting  strength  of  all  metals,  and  fully  understand  the  proper  combina- 
tion of  material  to  safely  withstand  the  greatest  strains  or  the  severest  shocks;  and  after  a 
minute  and  thorough  examination  of  your  model  for  an  Indestructible  Car,  and  bringing  to 
bear  upon  the  subject  all  the  knowledge  attainable  in  a  long  and  varied  experience,  I  have  no 
hesitancy  in  pronouncing  your  happy  combination  of  materials  used  the  most  perfect  of  any 
heretofore  devised,  and  fully  believe  that  cars  constructed  on  this  principle  will  not  only  be 
safe  in  every  respect  to  travel  in,  but,  in  addition,  will  outlast  all  others,  and  in  the  end  prove 
infinitely  the  cheapest  for  railroad  companies. 

"  Yours  trulv, 

"GEORGE  H.  CLARK." 

Several  other  equally  strong  endorsements  are  in  the  hands  of  the  inventor. 


Thirty-five  pages  of  drawings,  including  more  than  seventy  separate  figures,  partially 
illustrate,  in  detail,  this  important  discovery,  it  being  covered  and  protected  by  upwards  of 
ninety  distinct  claims. 

Page  25,  Fig.  1,  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  entire  skeleton  or  framework  of  the  car  ready  to 
receive  the  covering  and  finish. 

Fig.  2  is  a  top  plan  view  of  the  same,  one  platform  being  omitted. 

This  mode  of  construction  produces  a  car-frame  peculiarly  light  and  graceful  in  appear- 
ance, and  in  point  of  strength  and  durability  beyond  comparison. 

All  important  claims  to  superiority,  particularly  in  the  manner  of  constructing  the  frame- 
work, are  warmly  endorsed  by  well-known  experts,  including  able  Military,  Civil,  Mechanical, 
Naval,  and  Railroad  Engineers. 

Some  of  the  special  features  of  the  finished  car,  which  render  it  the  most  complete  vehicle 
for  luxurious  traveling  yet  known,  are  briefly  mentioned  further  on.  And  when  all  these 
important  advantages  are  added  to  a  perfect  consciousness  that  no  danger  to  life  is  possible,  the 
pleasure  is  doubly  enhanced,  and  the  excursionist  must  necessarily  feel  that  in  real  value  the 
extra  dollars  expended  are  fully  returned;  and  this  belief  will  doubtless  increase  railway 
traffic  far  beyond  its  present  enormous  aggregate. 


25 


SJ, 


28 


Page  29,  Fig.  7,  is  a  bottom  plan  view,  one  truck  being  omitted  to  show  the  king-bolt  and 
flanged  bearing  surfaces  x  and  q,  also  the  buffer  H. 

Fig.  8  is  a  longitudinal  view  of  the  buffer  and  coupler,  showing  the  strong  coiled  spring 
behind  the  buffer;  also,  one  of  the  several  means  of  attaching  the  coupler  to  the  continuous 
drawbar. 

Fig.  9  is  a  bottom  plan  view  of  the  coupler,  from  which  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  automatic 
in  action,  very  strong,  and  exceedingly  simple. 

Fig.  10  is  a  top  plan  view  of  a  section  of  the  framework,  showing  the  edge  of  the  outer 
casing  or  siding  of  the  car. 


29 


On  page  33,  Fig.  1,  is  a  side  elevation  of  a  section  of  the  tubular  framework,  showing  one 
truck  and  one  platform.  £*Je, 

One  of  the  large  longitudinal  tubes  being  broken  away  to  show  the  short  platform^A 1 , 
fitted  within  and  abutting  against  the  coiled  spring  c. 

The  pin  a1  passing  through  both  to  hold  the  platform  in  proper  position. 

One  of  the  tubular  casings  or  pedestals  of  the  truck  is  also  broken  away  to  show  the  axle- 
bearing  and  coiled  spring  within. 

The  ball-bearing  c*,  at  the  top  of  the  pedestal,  on  which  the  car  is  steadied  to  prevent 
excessive  rocking  movements,  is  also  seen. 

In  this  figure  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  groups  of  transverse  tubular  bands  consist  of  two 
rectangular  in  form  and  one  a  complete  circle  or  ring,  while  on 


Page  37,  Fig.  3,  the  order  is  reversed. 

By  the  construction  here  illustrated  two  of  each  group  of  transverse  bands  or  ribs  are 
complete  circles  and  one  rectangular. 

The  doable  number  of  circular  ribs  adding  considerably  to  the  lateral  strength  of  the  car 
without  increasing  either  cost  or  weight.  In  this  figure  three  of  the  longitudinal  tubes  are 
broken  away,  exposing  the  interior  tubes  or  platform  supports. 

An  auxiliary  brace  is  shown  on  the  outer  end  of  the  truck  framework,  bearing  against  the 
lower  end  of  the  vertical  casing  or  pedestal,  thus  doubly  strengthening  the  bearing  of  the  axle, 
and  an  additional  tube,  E,  bent  to  suit  the  curvature  of  the  roof,  considerably  strengthens  the 
hood  overhanging  the  platform. 

In  this  view  the  buffer  H  is  shown  at  its  extreme  outward  limit,  the  inward  movement 
when  striking  the  opposing  car  being  somewhat  less  than  the  distance  between  the  hoods  above, 
and  fully  protects  them  from  abrasion  during  ordinary  contacts  with  each  other. 


37 


Page  41,  Fig.  2,  is  a  top  plan  view  of  a  section  of  the  framework,  showing  the  relative 
widths  of  the  car  and  the  trucks. 

In  this  view  the  platform  is  partially  drawn  out,  showing  the  relative  size  of  the  interior 
tubes  supporting  the  platform  and  the  exterior  or  longitudinal  tubes  forming  the  lineal  portion 
of  the  main  framework. 


44 


Page  45,  Fig.  3,  is  a  transverse  section  showing  the  relative  size,  shape,  and  position  of'all 
the  tubes  composing  the  framework,  from  which  it  will  he  observed  that  four  of  the  longi- 
tudinal tubes,  forming  the  sills  and  plates,  are  inside  the  transverse  rectangular  tubes  and  just 
outside  the  periphery  of  the  circular  ribs,  while  the  central  longitudinal  tubes,  at  the  top  and 
bottom  of  the  car,  are  inside  the  circular  and  outside  the  rectangular  transverse  ribs  or  tubular 
bands,  interlacing  each  other  in  such  a  manner  as  to  intersect  at  twenty  different  points,  where 
they  are  firmly  brazed,  clamped,  riveted,  or  bolted  together. 

This  systematic  interweaving  so  thoroughly  strengthens  both  the  transverse  and  longitu- 
dinal tubes  as  to  render  crushing,  either  by  side  thrusts  or  end  concussions,  next  to  impossible. 

In  this  figure  we  show  the  simplest-known  connection  of  the  truck  and  car — a  plain 
bearing  and  an  ordinary  king-bolt. 

Fig.  4  is  a  perspective  view  of  a  tubular  truck  in  its  simplest  form — light,  cheap, 
exceedingly  strong,  and  durable. 


48 


Page  49,  Fig.  4,  shows  all  the  essential  features  of  Fig.  3,  page  45,  and  in  addition  the 
improved  king-bolt,  with  its  protecting  flanges  or  dust  fenders  x,  also  the  flanged  bearing- 
surfaces  q,  overlapping  the  steadying  discs  r,  projecting  upwardly  from  the  bridge  of  the  truck. 

These  discs  are  more  plainly  shown  in  Fig.  5. 

Fig.  5  is  a  perspective  view  of  the  improved  truck,  showing  supplemental  braces  h  and/, 
and  the  wearing  discs  r,  for  steadying  the  car  or  preventing  its  rocking  movement  while 
turning  short  curves  or  running  over  uneven  roads. 

Fig.  6  shows  an  improved  means  of  uniting  the  transverse  ribs  or  bands  a,  the  ends  of 
each  being  fitted  into  the  block  D,  the  lower  longitudinal  tube  or  continuous  drawbar  B 
passing  at  right  angles  through  the  same  integral  block  D.  This  thorough  union  of  all  the 
tubes  adding  greatly  to  the  strength,  but  very  little  to  the  cost  of  the  car. 


49 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
W  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


Page  53,  Fig.  1,  is  a  perspective  view  of  the  exterior  of  an  indestructible  car  complete — 
simply  but  substantially  finished. 

As  seen  by  this  figure  the  hoods  projecting  over  the  platforms  slightly  overlap  the  roofing 
of  the  body  of  the  car,  and  are  fastened  in  that  position  by  small  rivets  or  any  other  well-known 
methods  sufficiently  firm  to  retain  their  respective  places,  except  in  case  of  collision,  in  which 
event  these  minor  fastenings  give  way  without  materially  injuring  the  main  roof. 

The  curved  vertical  corners  of  the  car  also  give  way  in  a  similar  manner,  so  that  even 
though  the  collision  is  severe  enough  to  entirely  crush  the  platform,  neither  the  framework, 
the  covering,  nor  casing  of  the  car  proper  are  materially  injured. 


Page  57,  Fig.  2,  is  an  end  elevation,  showing  one  of  numerous  styles  of  exterior  finish  for 
an  indestructible  car. 

It  also  shows  one  of  the  simplest  known  devices  for  releasing  the  coupler. 

Fig.  3  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  on  a  line  with  the  central  portion  of  the  truck, 
showing  the  relative  position  of  the  entire  framework,  covering,  and  finish  of  a  campleted  car; 
plainly  showing  also  the  flanged  bearings  overlapping  the  wearing  discs  on  the  bridge  of  the 
truck  for  preventing  undue  oscillations. 

This  figure  also  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  immense  strength  of  the  improved  king-bolt,  as 
compared  with  others  now  in  use:  this  being  an  important  feature,  when  we  remember  the 
terrible  strain  to  which  it  is  subjected  whenever  the  brakes  are  suddenly  applied. 


57 


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fir 


6o 


Page  61,  Fig.  1,  is  an  interior  view  of  an  ordinary  day  coach  constructed  on  the  indestruct- 
ible principle,  showing  the  station  indicator  in  its  proper  position  above  the  door. 

This  indicator  is  more  fully  described  further  on. 

It  is  of  course  apparent  that  the  general  finish  and  interior  decoration  can  be  varied 
almost  infinitely  to  suit  the  various  tastes  of  either  builders  or  purchasers. 


64 


On  page  65  is  shown  the  interior  of  a  plainly-finished  parlor  car,  with  the  furnace  placed 
in  position,  its  hot  air  or  steam  pipes-connecting  directly  with  the  lower  longitudinal  tubes, 
forcing  the  heat  along  the  entire  length  of  the  car,  from  which  tubes  it  can  be  withdrawn  at 
will  at  any  desired  point,  by  the  passengers  themselves,  by  simply  opening  the  registers  a  a, 
these  registers  being  placed  at  convenient  intervals  along  the  base  of  the  car.  It  being  a  fact 
well  known  that  some  persons  require  much  more  artificial  warmth  than  others,  it  is  apparent 
that  this  complete  device  fully  meets  the  exigency,  and  places  the  regulation  of  the  matter  in 
the  hands  of  those  directly  interested,  without  the  necessity  of  meddling  with  the  furnace  or 
source  of  supply,  these  local  registers  being  opened  or  closed  as  easily  as  the  opening  and  closing 
of  an  ordinary  fan.  A  fuller  description  of  this  improved  heating  apparatus  is  given  on 
another  page. 

In  the  summer  time  both  the  upper  and  lower  longitudinal  tubes  can  be  utilized  as  cold-air 
ducts,  the  cold  air  being  forced  through  by  either  the  movement  of  the  train  or  by  special 
mechanism  connected  with  the  locomotive,  cinders  and  other  impurities  being  excluded  by 
suitable  screens  or  fenders  placed  over  the  hood,  which  collectsand  transmitsthe  air  to  the 
proper  channels.  It  will  be  readily  observed  that  by  this  construction  we  have  a  roomy  and 
comfortable  car,  possessing  all  the  essential  elements  of  a  luxurious  home  parlor,  the  assurance 
of  absolute  safety  of  course  adding  much  to  the  general  feeling  of  comfort. 


68 


Page  69,  Fig.  2,  is  a  vertical  central  section  of  a  safety-furnace  for  railway  cars.  It  is 
constructed  with  an  outer  cylindrical  casing  of  boiler-iron,  C,  strongly  riveted  to  a  base  of  the 
same  metal, C1,  and  to  the  heavy  metallic  plate  which  forms  the  top  of  the  furnace  proper  and 
the  bottom  of  the  hot  air  or  steam  chamber  c  c.  It  is  provided  interially  with  a  heavy  cast- 
iron  fire-pot,  H,  also  strongly  riveted  to  the  same  upper  plate.  A  heavy  grate,  with  handles 
for  shaking  it,  discharges  the  ashes  and  cinders  into  a  closed  chamber  immediately  below  the 
fire-pot,  where  they  can  remain  until  partially  cooled,  when  they  can  be  resifted  through  the 
lower  and  finer  grate  into  the  ash-pan  below  and  removed  at  will.  This  resifting  thoroughly 
separates  the  ashes  and  hot  cinders,  and  when  the  ashes  are  removed  and  the  pan  replaced, 
the  cinders  can  be  dumped  into  it  and  allowed  to  thoroughly  cool  before  removing.  This  pre- 
caution greatly  lessens  the  liability  of  fires  from  careless  handling.  A  funnel-shaped  magazine, 
L,  is  securel}'  riveted  to  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  hot-air  chamber,  and  will  hold  a  coal  supply 
sufficient  for  a  twelve-hundred-mile  run.  It  is  filled  only  at  terminal  points,  where  it  is  put 
in  ordtr  and  the  fire  lighted  by  the  local  fireman,  and  the  door  and  cover  securely  locked  by 
him  before  starting  the  train.  Therefore,  in  no  event,  can  any  passenger  trifle  with  the  fire 
during  the  journey,  except  to  open  or  close  the  drafts.  The  lower  end  of  the  coal-reservoir  is 
made  so  small  that,  even  if  the  car  should  turn  completely  over,  no  appreciable  amount  of 
burning  coal  could  fall  back  into  it,  and  as  the  flue  for  escaping  gas  and  smoke  has  an  auto- 
matically closing  valve,  it  is  apparent  that  in  no  case  can  the  fire  come  in  contact  with  the  car. 
By  rotating  the  vertical  shaft  O  the  short  projections  near  its  lower  end  loosensthe  coal,  which 
readily  falls  into  the  fire-pot  below.  The  heat  from  the  burning  coal  communicates  directly 
with  the  hot  air  or  steam  chamber  above,  and  is  thence  conducted  to  the  various  parts  of  the 
car,  as  already  described.  The  cold-air  supply  comes  in  at  the  inner  space  of  the  helicoid  J, 
and  is  thoroughly  heated  before  reaching  the  escape-pipe  B.  Fig.  3  is  a  top  plan  view  of  the 
helicoidal  or  spiral  partition  of  the  hot-air  chamber;  also  the  horizontal  bracket  P1,  by  which 
the  furnace  is  securely  held  in  position,  more  fully  described  on  page  73. 


69 


72 


•*- 


Page  73,  Fig.  4,  represents  this  improved  furnace  in  proper  position  in  the  corner  of  a  car. 
The  horizontal  bracket  P,  firmly  clasping  the  base  of  the  furnace,  is  strongly  bolted  to  the  floor. 
The  central  bracket  P1  surrounds  the  body  of  the  furnace  and  is  securely  bolted  to  the  sides 
and  end  of  the  car,  as  is  also  the  upper  bracket  P2  surrounding  the  hot-air  chamber.  The 
tubular  fenders  i  are  rigidly  screwed  into  both  the  upper  and  lower  brackets  by  a  right  and 
left-handed  thread,  when  the  furnace  is  placed  in  position.  The  purpose  of  these  fenders  being 
to  prevent  personal  contact  with,  or  injury  from,  the  heated  furnace  in  case  of  accident,  while 
in  nowise  interfering  with  the  natural  radiation  of  the  heat. 

As  will  be  readily  seen,  this  compact  and  simple  device  furnishes  a  thorough  and  reliable 
beating  apparatus,  immovably  fixed  in  position,  easily  understood  and  operated,  perfect  in 
action,  cleanly  in  its  nature,  and  absolutely  safe. 


73 


76 


I 

>  <l§fe-ip  » 

^^S^Y^le^ 


Page  77,  Fig.  1,  is  a  top  plan  view  of  a  combined  sleeping  apartment  and  day  coach,  the 
sections  C  being  enclosed  at  will  by  a  slatted  partition,  which  is  formed  of  vertical  slats  of 
asbestos  board,  or  any  suitable  material,  secured  pliantly  together  by  wire  loops,  strong  canvas, 
or  other  methods,  and  so  arranged  that  they  can  be  rolled  up  on  upright  cylinders  whenever 
not  in  use. 

The  operation  being  as  simple  as  the  adjustment  of  an  ordinary  window  blind  ;  that  is  to 
say,  whenever  it  is  desired  to  inclose  a  section,  the  car-porter  or  passenger  simply  pulls  the 
roll  horizontally  in  line  with  the  groove  in  the  floor,  and  hooks  the  loop  attached  thereto  over 
a  receiving  pin  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  section. 

A  corresponding  groove  just  under  the  ceiling  of  the  car  overlaps  and  steadies  the  upper 
end  of  said  partition.  This  brings  the  door  just  opposite  the  space  between  the  seats,  where  it 
can  be  opened  or  closed  whenever  desired  by  the  occupants  of  that  section ;  and  as  suitable 
fastenings  for  this  door  are  on  the  inner  side,  it  is  obvious  that  all  the  privacy  obtained  by 
expensive  state-rooms  may  be  enjoyed  therein  ;  while,  if  desired,  during  the  daytime,  the  par- 
tition may  be  rolled  back,  and  all  the  advantages  of  general  association  with  companions  or 
fellow-travelers  may  be  obtained  as  fully  as  in  an  ordinary  parlor  or  sleeping  car.  It  is 
apparent,  of  course,  that  these  coiled  partitions  may,  if  desired,  be  placed  in  a  horizontal  as 
well  as  a  vertical  position,  without  departing  from  the  principle  of  this  invention. 


77 


s 


8o 


Page  81,  Fig.  2,  shows  two  open  and  two  closed  sections  of  the  apartment  car,  the 
adjustable  bars  x,  indicated  by  dotted  lines,  being  turned  crosswise  on  one  of  the  doors,  as  is 
necessary  to  properly  steady  it  when  in  use,  and  turned  lengthwise  of  the  slats  on  one,  as  is 
necessary  when  it  is  desired  to  roll  the  partition  back. 

Fig.  2  also  shows  a  vertical  section  of  an  improved  ventilator  in  the  monitor  or  hooded 
portion  of  the  roof,  the  improvement  consisting  of  a  longitudinal  rod  or  bar  hinged  to  a 
suitable  projection  from  the  lower  portion  of  each  ventilating  window,  all  being  opened  or 
closed  simultaneously  by  a  simple  movement  of  the  vertical  lever  N  to  the  right  or  left,  as 
desired. 

Fig.  3  is  a  top  plan  view  showing  the  ventilator  partially  open.  This  simple  and  effective 
device  saving  the  train-men  much  trouble ;  as,  for  instance,  when  approaching  a  tunnel,  they 
can  instantly  and  easily  close  them  all  from  either  end  of  the  coach,  and  whenever  it  is  desired 
to  have  them  opened  again  all  are  opened  alike,  and  a  uniformity  of  temperature  is  attained 
throughout  the  entire  car. 


81 


fo, 


84 


Page  85,  Fig.  /,  is  a  perspective  view  of  a  station-indicator,  consisting  of  a  series  of  strong 
cards  with  the  name  of  each  station  on  the  route  plainly  printed  thereon.  These  cards  are 
placed  in  a  horizontal  position  over  the  doorway  before  starting  the  train,  being  thus  held  by 
a  suitable  wire  framework. 

The  operation  is  very  simple.  Rocking  the  latch  M,  (more  plainly  seen  in  Fig.  3,,)  either 
with  a  bell-pull  or  a  key,  as  provided  in  the  patent,  releases  the  front  edge  of  the  lower  card, 
which,  by  its  own  gravity,  falls  into  a  vertical  position,  plainly  displaying  the  name  of  the 
station  at  which  the  train  will  next  stop. 

The  upper  spur  of  the  latch  advances  as  the  lower  one  recedes  and  checks  the  fall  of  the 
next  lower  card.  The  spring  S  immediately  throws  the  latch  back  in  place,  when  the  then 
lower  card  drops  onto  the  lower  spur,  and  is  there  held  until  the  next  station  is  passed,  when 
it  is  released  by  a  second  rocking  of  the  latch,  and  drops  into  a  vertical  position  like  the  first, 
plainly  displaying  the  name  of  the  second  station,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  journey.  The 
advantages  of  this  system  are  plainly  understood — it  being  well  known  that  very  few  people 
really  comprehend  what  the  train-men  say  when  calling  out  stations.  But  by  this  device  each 
one  is  fully  informed  some  time  in  advance  of  the  arrival,  and  when  the  desired  station  is 
reached  can  have  on  overcoats  or  wraps,  parcels  in  hand,  &c.,  and  be  all  ready  to  walk  out 
without  confusion. 

Figs.  3  and  *show  modifications  in  the  manner  of  providing  eyelets  for  the  printed  cards. 


85 


e^^£%#%^^%2#^^ 


Q.   V 


88 


Page  89,  Fig.  1,  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  inner  side  of  a  car,  showing  a  device  by  which 
all  the  side  windows  may  be  simultaneously  closed,  whenever  desired,  either  by  reason  of  a 
sudden  storm,  when  passing  through  tunnels,  during  inclement  weather  or  intolerable  dusty 
periods.  Very  few  travelers  have  escaped  that  insufferable  nuisance  known  as  the  "  open- 
window  crank,"  or  fail  to  remember  when  some  otherwise  pleasant  journey  was  rendered 
almost  unbearable  by  the  persistency  with  which  the  passenger  in  the  seat  just  ahead  kept  the 
window  up  to  its  full  height. 

Instances  innumerable  can  be  referred  to  where  vigorous  persons,  indulging  in  heavy 
cloaks,  i oats,  or  a  superabundance  of  wraps,  have  planted  themselves  down  before  less  fortu- 
nate tn      'ers,  and,  totally  oblivious  to  the  weakened  physical  condition  or  scanty  raiment  of 
the  unfc       iate  immediately  in  the  rear,  have  willfully  kept  their  own  windows  wide  oper 
l>'  u     .ffering  material  inconvenience  themselves,  but  sending  chilling  winds  or  C!OL 

o.  .  -  ind  smoke  directly  in  the  faces  of  the  rear  passengers;  and  the  object  of  this  invention 
is  to  place  the  control  of  so  important  a  matter  in  the  hands  of  persons  other  than  the  vicious 
or  selfish.  Ladies  or  gentlemen  will,  of  course,  take  the  trouble  to  inquire  whether  or  not  an 
open  window  is  objectionable;  yet  very  many  persons,  with  plenty  of  clothes,  seemingly  forget 
to  mention  it. 

The  dotted  lines,  Fig.  1,  represent  longitudinal  rods  and  vertical  bars,  connected  in  such 
a  manner  that,  by  simply  moving  the  levers  F  and  I  to  the  right  or  left,  the  windows  are  held 
either  up  or  down,  as  may  be  desired.  Thus  the  train-men  can  instantly  close  them  all 
whenever  necessary,  and  if  a  cranky  passenger  insists  (as  is  frequently  the  case)  on  keeping  a 
window  wide  open  in  cold  weather,  either  the  train-men  or  the  suffering  passengers  in  the 
rear  seats  can  close  the  offending  window,  without  argument  or  difficulty,  either  by  swinging 
the  long  levers  at  the  end  of  the  car  or  the  short  levers  pending  between  each  window  to  the 
right  or  left,  as  the  case  requires. 

Figs.  2,  3,  and  4  represent  the  face  and  edge  views  of  the  same  device  in  detail. 

This  invention  in  nowise  abridges  the  rights  or  privileges  of  any  sensible  passenger,  all 
being  free  to  open  or  close  their  own  windows  whenever  desired  (as  in  the  ordinary  car;)  but 
the  estimable  privilege  of  willfully  annoying  others,  or  unnecessarily  making  a  whole  train- 
load  of  respectable  people  uncomfortable  by  keeping  windows  constantly  open,  is  taken  away 
from  the  heedless  or  vicious  crank,  that  is  all. 


89 


Hr* 


Page  93,  Fig.  4,  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  of  a  car,  showing  one  application  of  an 
emergency  brake,  the  metallic  shoe  being  in  position  beneath  the  wheels. 

H  is  a  lever,  by  which  the  brakeman  or  any  intelligent  passenger  can  instantly  release 
the  latch  which  holds  this  shoe  in  its  natural  state  of  rest. 

This  device,  as  its  name  implies,  is  only  to  be  used  in  cases  of  emergency,  when  the  ordi- 
nary brake  refuses  to  work,  or  to  save  the  car  from  plunging  down  an  embankment  or  through 
an  open  draw.  In  such  cases  it  is  simply  and  easily  operated,  and  effective. 

Fig.  5  is  a  perspective  view  of  this  metallic  shoe  detached  from  the  car. 

As  an  instance  illustrating  the  utility  of  the  device  shown  on  the  opposite  page,  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  had  this  brake  been  attached  to  the  train  which  recently  ran  away  with  such  dis- 
astrous effect  on  the  Washington  Y,  even  though  all  other  appliances  failed,  the  passengers 
themselves  could  have  easily  and  effectively  prevented  that  frightful  calamity. 


93 


96' 


96 


Page  97,  Fig.  1,  shows  a  side  elevation  of  the  wheels,  the  '-ottoi  01  thi:  and  t1.: 
emergency  brake  or  metallic  shoe  previout'y  leferred  to,  in  a  ctate  of  r 

Also  a  modification  or  metallic  band,  which,  when  released  •  f<i?tenings,  instantly 

winds  around  the  axle  ,of  the  truck,  makuijj  further  rotation  *.  p<.  ..  uk,  ''nd  thus  almost 
instantly  stopping  the  car.  This  modification  can  be  applied  even  if  one  of  the  rear  cars 
should  jump  the  track,  as  sometimes  occurs,  in  which  event  it  would  at  once  snap  the  coupling, 
and,  being  thus  released  from  the  train,  could  not  be  dragged  '%-  ".«  ties. 

Fig.  2  shows  both  devices  practically  applied. 

Fig.  3  is  a  bottom  plan  view,  showing  relative  position  c(  ooth  wheels  and  P  "hen  at 
rest. 


97 


IOO 


Page  101,  Fig.  6,  shows  the  metallic  band  in  its  normal  position  or  state  of  rest,  and  to 
the  right  shows  it  as  applied  to  the  axle  of  the  truck. 

Fig.  7  is  a  bottom  plan  view,  and  Fig.  8  a  transverse  vertical  section,  showing  the  relative 
positions  of  the  car,  the  wheels,  and  the  metallic  band. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  company  controlling  the  various  improvements  embraced  in  this 
series  of  patents  to  place  plainly  printed  instructions  for  operating  each  in  convenient  positions, 
contiguous  to  such  improvement,  to  the  end  that  the  traveling  public  may  readily  familiarize 
itself  with  the  objects  and  action  of  them  all. 


101 


104. 

<5Lf^  ;<_ 


The  numerous  railroad  accidents  during  the  past  year,  particularly  those  resulting  in  the 
roasting  of  passengers  by  the  ordinary  car-stove,  has  called  the  attention  df  inventors  to  the 
necessity  of  heating  passenger-coaches  by  some  means  outside  of  the  local  fire-trap.  Steam 
from  the  engine  can  be  used  in  certain  instances,  though  its  tendency  to  rapid  condensation 
renders  it  almost  impracticable  where  cars  are  frequently  detached  from  or  added  to  the  main 
train,  as  is  necessary  when  passing  branch  or  connecting  roads.  It  is  also  seriously  objection- 
able from  the  liability  to  burst  the  pipes  or  tubes,  or  to  scald  train-men  or  others  when 
attaching  or  detaching  the  various  cars.  Still  another  serious  objection  to  heating  cars  by 
steam  from  the  engine  is  the  rapid  exhaustion  of  the  motive  power,  and  it  is  a  matter  of 
serious  doubt  whether  locomotives  can  furnish  steam  enough  to  draw  and  comfortably  heat 
whole  trains  on  their  numerous  long  journeys  over  the  Northern  roads.  But  a  system 
infinitely  better  than  this  has  been  devised  for  thoroughly  accomplishing  the  desired  purpose 
without  any  of  the  serious  objections  above  referred  to,  and  without  crippling  or  interfering 
in  any  way  with  the  locomotive  power.  The  tender  is  simply  elongated  sufficiently  to  put  a 
furnace  in  the  rear  of  the  coal-box,  as  seen  in  Fig.  2,  page  109,  and  under  easy  management 
of  the  locomotive-fireman.  This  furnace  is  provided  with  suitable  blowers,  and  hot  air  is 
generated  and  forced  through  the  entire  train  by  means  of  suitably-connecting  pipes,  from 
which  the  heat  can  be  withdrawn  by  the  passengers  themselves,  through  local  registers  at 
convenient  distances  along  the  car,  whenever  and  wherever  required,  (without  the  possibility 
of  an  accident  from  the  bursting  of  tubes  or  radiators,)  the  manner  of  coupling  and  uncoupling 
being  so  simple  that  the  most  brainless  train-m:m  cannot  make  a  mistake.  The  coupling- 
valves,  being  automatic  in  their  action,  successfully  open  and  close  themselves  as  the  various 
cars  are  united  or  disunited  in  making  up  or  detaching  trains.  Another  advantage  of  this 
system  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  this  furnace  is  surrounded  by  a  water-jacket,  which  not  only 
prevents  a  caloric  waste,  but  heats  the  water  supply  which  is  furnished  to  the  locomotive 
almost  at  the  boiling  point,  and,  as  is  obvious,  saves  the  withdrawing  of  heat  from  the  locomo- 
tive to  keep  the  water  supply  from  freezing,  as  is  now  necessary  in  cold  weather.  Thus  it  will 
be  seen  that  instead  of  crippling  the  engine's  power  by  withdrawing  any  portion  of  its  force, 
as  is  necessary  in  steam-heating  processes,  our  system  actually  assists  the  locomotive  in  gener- 
ating steam,  by  furnishing  hot  instead  of  cold  water  to  its  boiler.  In  the  summer  season  a 
division  plate  can  be  put  in  the  water-jacket  between  the  elongated  portion  or  furnace  and  the 
tender  proper,  and  that  portion  immediately  surrounding  the  furnace  can  be  filled  with  blocks 
of  ice,  and  cold  air  driven  through  the  pipes  by  the  same  blowers  which  furnish  the  heated 
air  in  winter;  and  during  excessively  hot  weather  flexible  or  other  connections  can  be  made 
with  ice-chests  in  each  car,  the  air  being  driven  through  as  already  described,  and  the 
temperature  of  each  apartment  kept  down  to  the  desired  point;  thus,  during  both  winter  and 
summer,  traveling  will  become  a  luxury  instead  of  a  hazardous  and  annoying  risk  ;  freed 
from  all  danger  by  accidents  of  any  character;  reclining  on  luxurious  seats  or  sofas,  with  the 
temperature  of  the  car  always  at  the  desired  point;  dust  and  cinders  effectually  debarred  by 
the  devices  previously  described  ;  all  the  unevenness  of  roads  overcome  by  our  independently- 
acting  truck  spring,  smoothly  and  almost  noiselessly,  with  mind  free  from  all  danger,  care, 
and  anxiety,  the  traveler  is  safely  whirled  over  the  country  in  almost  oriental  luxury,  and 
traveling  indeed  becomes  a  pleasure. 

Fig.  1,  on  the  opposite  page,  represents  a  section  of  a  moving  train,  heated  or  cooled,  as 
may  be  desired,  by  the  improved  device  for  supplying  hot  or  cold  air. 


105 


io8 


•*- 


Page  109,  Fig.  2,  is  a  perspective  view  of  my  improved  heater,  showing  the  side  door,  for 
supplying  the  blower  with  air,  slightly  ajar.  This  door  is  opened  and  closed  at  will,  and  the 
dampers  opened  and  closed  by  the  levers  coming  up  into  the  apartment  just  above  the  coal- 
pit. This  little  apartment,  when  not  in  use,  is  closed  to  dust  or  dirt,  snow  or  rain,  by  a  door 
depending  from  the  top  of  the  box.  The  lower  door  H  is  the  outlet  for  ashes  or  cinders.  The 
sliding-door  b',  in  the  little  rotunda,  is  for  filling  the  coal  magazine.  The  bar  d'  is  for  opening 
and  closing  the  valve  in  the  smoke-stack  E'.  The  continuation  of  the  chamber,  separated  by 
a  strong  partition  from  the  one  containing  the  operating  levers,  is  used  for  a  tool-box,  the  door 
Q  being  opened  and  closed  the  same  as  in  the  lever  section.  A  thermometer,  thoroughly  and 
securely  encased,  by  which-  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  is  determined,  is  seen  at  T,  The  coal 
for  the  locomotive  is  furnished  from  the  tender  in  the  usual  manner. 

Fig.  3  is  a  plan  view  of  the  bottom  of  a  car,  showing  the  arrangement  and  connections  of 
hot-air  pipes,  and  the  registers  opening  up  through  the  floor,  through  which  the  heated  air  is 
withdrawn  when  desired.  It  is  apparent,  of  course,  that  these  registers  may  be  increased,  if 
necessary,  to  any  requisite  number. 


-<-*• 


109 


112 


K-* 


Page  113,  Fig.  4,  is  a  longitudinal  side  elevation  through  the  centre  of  the  furnace, 
showing  the  coal  magazine;  the  combustion  chamber  below;  the  hot-air  pipes;  the  heated  air 
chamber,  both  above  and  below  the  pipes;  the  smoke-stack,  and  its  damper  or  valve;  the 
escape-pipe,  through  which  the  heated  air  is  forced;  the  blower;  the  operating  levers  in  the 
chamber  above  the  coal-pit;  the  thermometer,  for  registering  the  state  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
the  swinging-apron,  which  is  used  for  cooling  the  ashes  or  cinders  as  they  escape  from  the 
lower  damper. 

Fig.  5  is  a  plan  view  of  the  same,  plainly  showing  the  furnace  surrounded  by  the  water- 
jacket. 

Fig.  6  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  on  a  line  with  the  blowers,  showing  the  casement  in 
which  the  blowers  are  worked  and  their  connection  with  the  shaft  of  the  tender-truck;  also, 
the  lower  grate,  through  which  the  necessary  air  is  received  to  support  combustion. 


113 


n6 


Page  117,  Fig.  7,  is  an  enlarged  view  of  a  section  of  this  device,  showing  the  open  door 
for  the  ingress  of  cold  air  and  the  operation  of  the  blowers ;  the  rods  connecting  the  damper ; 
the  movable  apron  and  the  door,  with  their  respective  levers,  shown  in  dotted  lines  in  the  little 
chamber  above  the  coal-pit.  The  door  H,  as  already  stated,  is  for  removing  the  ashes  and 
cinders  from  the  combustion  chamber. 


120 


On  page  121,  Fig.  8,  is  seen  the  heavy  grate  A,  which  retains  the  coal  in  the  combustion 
chamber  C,  and  the  damper  a1,  operated  by  the  rod  a2. 

Fig.  9  is  a  view  of  the  coupling  for  the  hot-air  pipes,  separated,  and  the  valve  P,  closed  by 
the  coiled  spring  S'. 

Fig.  10  shows  this  coupling  united,  the  interior  rod  W  pushing  back  and  opening  the 
valve  as  the  coupling-sleeve  is  advanced  to  its  proper  position. 

Fig.  11  is  a  section  of  two  cars,  showing  the  flexible  tube  R'  connecting  the  hot-air  pipes. 


121 


124 


The  object  of  this  invention  is  to  provide  a  car  strong  enough  to  withstand  all  con- 
cussions from  collisions,  derailment,  or  any  other  accident,  and,  also,  to  cover  the  car  with  such 
material  as  to  resist  the  action  of  fire,  shots  from  either  rifles  or  revolvers  in  the  hands  of  train- 
robbers  or  other  desperadoes. 

The  immediate  object  is  to  provide  a  car  for  the  safe  transportation  of  valuable  express 
matter,  bullion  from  the  mines,  coin  from  the  different  cities  or  mints,  paymasters'  supplies  for 
the  army,  railroad  or  contractors'  men,  &c. 

As  this  car  possesses  all  the  elements  of  a  fortress  on  wheels,  it  will  be  peculiarly  valuable 
while  running  over  sections  of  the  country  sparsely  settled  and  exposed  to  the  lawless  gangs 
who  infest  such  regions,  as  it  will  materially  lessen  the  force  of  armed  men  necessary  to  protect 
such  valuable  trains.  A  few  well-armed  men  within  these  moving  fortresses,  protected,  as  they 
are,  by  an  impervious  casement  of  steel,  pierced  with  automatically-closing  port-holes,  from 
which  they  can  get  the  range  of  any  man  or  object  outside  the  car,  without  in  the  least  exposing 
their  persons,  will  be  more  than  a  match  for  full}'  ten  times  the  number  of  the  outside  or 
attacking  party.  The  entrance  to  these  cars  is  by  a  rotating  cylindrical  door,  which  in  no  case 
will  admit  of  the  passage  of  but  one  person  at  a  time;  therefore,  if  it  is  desired  to  capture  the 
leader  or  any  member  of  the  gang,  such  person  can  be  readily  admitted,  (the  rotating-door 
excluding  all  others,)  and  effectually  bound  and  carried  off  in  triumph.  The  automatically- 
closing  port-holes,  as  seen  by  the  drawings,  are  tubular  inside,  provided  at  the  outer  end  with 
a  ball-and-socket  journal,  which  holds  it  within  the  casement  or  sides  of  the  car,  and  admits 
of  its  being  turned  in  any  direction,  either  for  observation  or  for  firing  upon  the  outside  enemy, 
and  instantly  thereafter  the  inside  end  may  be  dropped,  which  will  bring  the  outside  aperture 
within  the  socket  which  attaches  it  to  the  casement,  thus  Effectually  excluding  all  bullets  fired 
by  the  attacking  party.  Suitable  turrets  are  extended  above  the  roof  of  the  car  to  admit  of 
light  and  air.  These  turrets  may  be  easily  and  instantly  closed,  in  case  of  any  attack  from 
the  outside,  as  they  are  provided  with  either  heavy  steel-slatted  blinds  or  a  rotating,  steel, 
cylindrical  shaft.  The  roof  is  also  supplied  with  suitable  ventilators,  for  the  escape  of  the  hot 
air  from  lamps  or  foul  air.  This  car  is  also  provided  with  an  indestructible  furnace,  for 
heating  in  winter,  which  is  made  sufficiently  strong  to  resist  all  concussions,  of  whatever 
nature,  and  is  fastened  firmly  in  position,  and  made  additionally  strong  by  being  surrounded 
by  a  heavy  steel  cage,  which  effectually  prevents  the  throwing  of  either  packages  or  persons 
against  its  heated  surface  in  case  of  accident.  Artificial  light  is  provided  by  gas,  compressed 
within  indestructible  cylinders,  also  firmly  secured  in  position  in  one  corner  of  the  car,  from 
which  cylinders  it  can  be  withdrawn  at  will  by  the  occupants  of  the  car.  When  used  as  a 
paymaster's  car,  suitable  side  windows  are  provided,  through  which  to  pass  out  checks  or 
money.  These  windows  are  covered  by  heavy  steel  blinds,  which  can  be  instantly  and  securely 
closed  from  the  inside  in  case  of  any  sudden  attack,  these  blinds  being  sufficiently  strong  to 
resist  the  impact  of  any  bullet. 

It  is  apparent  that  these  cars  can  be  constructed  in  the  ordinary  form  of  common  cars 
now  in  general  use  without  departing  from  the  principle  of  my  invention ;  still  I  prefer  to 
build  them  on  the  indestructible  principle  shown  in  my  patents  of  July  5th,  1887. 

The  following  description  in  detail  will  give  a  fuller  idea  of  the  great  advantages  of  this 
traveling  fortress : 

Page  125,  Fig.  1,  is  a  perspective  view  of  my  improved  fortress  car,  showing  the  turrets 
and  ventilators  above  the  roof;  the  automatically -closing  port-holes  in  the  sides  and  end;  the 
rotating  cylindrical  door  in  the  end ;  the  side  door,  for  the  receipt  and  discharge  of  freight  and 
express  matter,  and  the  heavily-grated  side  windows,  which  are  only  operated  when  the 
structure  is  used  as  a  paymaster's  car. 

It  will  be  readily  observed  that  though  this  car  is  strong  enough  to  resist  any  and  all 
attacks  from  thieves  or  other  marauding    parties,  or  guerrillas   in   war   times,   and    strong 
enough,  also,  to  resist  all  the  crushing  effects  of  railway  accidents,  from  whatever  cause, 
it  is  in  no  sense  cumbersome,  but  as  light  and  graceful  in  appearance  as  the 
most  modern  parlor  coach.     Its  operation  has  already  been  fully  described  on 
the  previous  page. 

/  •V 1 1 W  {« 


125 


128 


On  page  129,  Fig.  2  is  an  interior  side  elevation  of  the  fortress  car,  showing  the  automatic 
ports  in  their  normal  or  closed  condition.  It  also  shows  the  cylindrical  door  at  the  ends,  one 
opened  on  the  interior  of  the  car,  where  it  is  firmly  held  by  a  heavy  bolt,  dropping  into  its 
proper  socket  in  the  floor,  where  it  remains  until  the  occupant  of  the  car  desires  to  go  out,  in 
which  case  he  steps  into  the  cylinder,  raises  the  bolt,  and  rotates  the  cylinder  until  the 
opening  registers  with  the  corresponding  aperture  in  the  end  of  the  car.  On  re-entering  the 
car  he  simply  reverses  the  process :  rotates  the  cylinder  to  the  right  until  it  resumes  the  position 
shown  in  the  right-hand  end  of  Fig.  2,  when  the  bolt  again  drops  into  its  socket,  and  the  agent 
can  step  out  of  the  cylinder  to  the  interior  of  the  car.  It  is  apparent  that  while  in  this  position 
the  outside  aperture  is  effectually  closed  by  a  portion  of  the  convex  surface  of  the  cylinder 
effectually  excluding  any  intrusion,  except  by  permission  of  the  inside  occupant,  and  as  these 
cylinders  are  only  large  enough  to  accommodate  one  person,  it  will,  of  course,  be  apparent  that 
but  one  can  enter  at  a  time ;  therefore,  any  attempt  at  raiding  the  car  by  a  whole  gang  at  a 
time  is  effectually  prevented  ;  for,  as  they  can  only  come  in  singly,  they  can  be  either  disabled, 
captured,  or  bound  in  detail.  As  the  automatic  ports  are  held  in  position  by  a  socket  corres- 
ponding to  its  globular  end,  it  is  apparent  that  they  can  be  turned  readily  in  any  direction 
when  it  is  desired  to  observe  the  movements  or  fire  upon  the  enemy,  and  when  released  imme- 
diately fall  into  the  pendant  position  shown  in  the  drawing,  effectually  closing  the  aperture, 
to  the  exclusion  of  bullets  or  other  missiles  from  the  exterior.  Thus  the  agents,  train-men,  or 
guards  maintain  a  perfect  mastery  of  the  situation,  without  in  the  least  exposing  their  own 
persons  to  danger.  The  operating  devices  for  opening  and  closing  the  turrets  are  simple,  and 
can  be  easily  managed  by  the  most  ignorant  train-man. 

Fig.  3  is  a  plan  view  of  the  top  of  the  car,  showing  the  ventilators,  the  turrets,  and  the 
ratchet  and  the  gear-wheel  for  moving  the  cylindrical  steel  casement,  which  closes  and  opens 
the  window,  when  rotated  to  the  right  or  left  by  the  pinion,  which  is  operated  from  the  interior 
by  a  crank  or  wheel  at  the  lower  end  of  the  pending  shaft,  which  shaft  is  journaled  in  a 
suitable  bracket,  attached  to  either  the  roof  or  the  frame  of  the  car.  The  roof  and  floor  may 
be  provided  with  movable  ports,  similar  to  those  in  the  sides  and  ends  of  the  car,  which  can 
be  used  against  an  attacking  party  with  advantage  in  case  the  car  is  derailed  and  thrown  on 
its  side. 


129 


/30 


132 


Page  133,  Fig.  4,  is  a  plan  view  of  the  fortress  car,  showing  the  safes  for  valuable  jewelry 
or  money  in  one  end  and  an  indestructible  furnace  and  a  cylinder  for  compressed  gas  in  the 
other  end;  the  rotating  cylindrical  doors,  one  with  the  opening  turned  to  the  interior  of  the 
car,  the  other  opening  registering  with  the  corresponding  aperture  in  the  end  leading  out  to 
the  platform. 

Fig.  5  is  an  enlarged  view  of  the  cylindrical  door.  The  flange  on  the  left,  as  one  stands 
within  the  cylinder,  is  in  radial  line  with  the  centre,  and  fits  into  the  casing  at  the  end  of  the 
car,  and  is  provided  with  a  suitable  lock  to  retain  it  in  that  position  when  desired.  An 
enlarged  view  of  this  flange  and  lock  is  shown  in  Fig.  7.  In  Fig.  6  the  cylindrical  door  is 
rotated  to  the  right,  so  that  the  opening  from  it  is  within  the  car,  the  radial  flange  now  bearing 
against  the  opposite  side  of  the  doorway  leading  in  from  the  platform,  the  point  of  greatest 
curvature  of  the  cylinder  just  filling  the  allotted  space,  so  as  to  effectually  close  the  outer 
opening.  The  bolt  on  the  outside  of  the  interior  portion  of  the  cylinder,  dropping  into  its 
proper  socket  in  the  floor,  securely  holds  it  in  its  position. 


133 


'  r 


I36 


Page  137,  Fig.  8,  is  a  transverse  view  of  the  interior  of  an  ordinary  fortress  car,  showing 
the  cylindrical  door  with  its  opening  to  the  interior  and  the  bolt  dropped  into  its  proper 
position;  also  transverse  sections  of  the  automatic  ports,  disclosing  the  funnel-shaped  aperture 
through  them ;  the  crank  for  rotating  the  cylindrical  casement  is  seen  at  the  left,  depending 
from  the  roof  to  a  point  within  easy  reach  of  the  occupant  of  the  car. 

Fig.  9  is  a  perspective  view  of  one  of  the  ports  detached  from  its  socket,  and  Fig  10  is  a 
longitudinal  section  of  the  same. 

From  these  views  it  will  be  seen  that  the  ports,  the  flanges,  and  casement  form  a  ball-and- 
socket  joint,  from  which  convenient  range  can  be  had  of  all  outside  enemies  or  objects,  which 
can  be  fired  upon  by  the  agent  from  the  interior  of  the  car  without  in  anywise  endangering 
his  own  person.  Thus,  in  perfect  safety,  he  can  easily  defend  himself  and  the  company's 
property. 


137 


140 


Hr* 


On  page  141,  Fig.  11  is  an  enlarged  sectional  view  of  the  turret,  showing  the  edge  of  the 
outer  cylindrical  casing;  the  pinion,  the  shaft, and  the  crank  for  rotating  the  same  when  it  is 
desired  to  open  or  close  the  windows  of  said  turret;  also  an  interior  view  of  the  heavily-grated 
window.  The  walls  of  this  turret,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  drawing,  are  slightly  conical,  design- 
edly so,  for  the  better  admission  of  light,  and  by  this  construction  the  turret  is  a  complete 
circle,  while  in  Fig.  12  the  walls  are  upright  and  in  form  polygonal,  the  windows  being  guarded 
by  slatted  blinds,  which  may  be  opened  or  closed  at  will  by  the  handles  depending  from  said 
slats,  It  will  also  be  observed  that  these  slats  can  be  turned  at  any  desired  point,  the  notches 
in  the  bars  depending  from  the  car-roof  holding  these  rods  and  the  slatted  blinds  attached 
thereto  in  any  desired  position.  These  blinds  are  of  sufficient  thickness  and  strength  to  resist 
the  impact  of  any  bullet,  and,  of  course,  thoroughly  protect  the  occupant  of  the  car  when  closed. 
The  windows  may,  whenever  desired,  be  swung  upwardly,  and  held  in -that  position  by  a  hook 
or  catch  depending  from  the  dome  of  the  turret. 

Fig.  13  shows  a  top  plan  view  of  an  octagonal  turret,  with  the  circular  dome  partially 
broken  away. 


141 


o 


~, ,  IN  i  •  r::;S"!r:i  it 'ill 


144 


Page  145,  Fig.  14,  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  of  a  fortress  car,  on  a  line  with  the  centre 
of  one  of  the  turrets,  constructed  with  the  steel  tubular  framework  of  my  indestructible  car 
patented  July  5th,  1887,  and  with  the  united  strength  of  this  rigid  framework  and  the  steel 
casement  of  the  car  firmly  riveted  together,  as  shown  in  the  drawings,  it  becomes,  unques- 
tionably, the  strongest  structure  on  wheels  ever  before  devised.  The  united  strength  of  these 
materials  are  so  judiciously  displayed  as  to  make  a  car  absolutely  indestructible  either  by 
collision,  by  fire,  by  attacks  from  any  source,  or  by  any  possible  wreckage;  hence,  the  lives 
and  property  entrusted  to  its  protection  will  in  all  cases  be  saved. 

In  this  view  we  see  the  cylindrical  door  closed  to  the  interior,  the  aperture,  of  course, 
registering  with  the  doorway  in  the  end  of  the  car;  the  pintal,  forming  the  upper  bearing  of 
this  cylinder,  is  plainly  seen  protruding  through  the  bracket  support,  which  is  firmly  riveted 
to  the  upper  framework  ;  the  lower  and  corresponding  bearing  is  in  a  socket  securely  riveted 
to  the  floor  directly  beneath.  As  will  be  seen,  also,  heavily-mounted  safes  are  firmly  secured, 
by  bolts  or  rivets,  to  the  sides  of  the  car,  forming,  substantially,  an  integral  part  thereof.  A 
sectional  view  of  two  of  the  automatic  ports  is  also  seen — one  in  a  horizontal,  the  other  in  a 
partially  depending  position.  The  features,  the  immense  strength,  and  great  advantage  of  my 
improved  truck,  and  the  powerful  king-bolt  and  flange-bearing  surfaces  previously  described, 
are  here  partially  reproduced.  Hooks,  depending  from  the  roof  or  framework  of  the  car,  are 
designed  to  support  light  packages,  that  might  be  crushed  by  being  thrown  into  a  promiscuous 
pile  of  freight  or  express  matter.  This  also  utilizes  an  otherwise  vacant  space. 

The  turret  on  this  car  is  of  polygonal  design,  and  slatted  blinds  are  used  to  guard  the 
windows  instead  of  the  cylindrical  casement  heretofore  described. 


145 


148 


Page  149,  Fig.  15,  is  a  plan  view,  showing  the  manner  of  attaching  the  steel  casement  to 
the  tubular  framework  of  my  indestructible  car.  The  triple  sheet  of  asbestos  and  steel  fills  the 
entire  space  between  the  transverse  rectangular  bands.  The  bolts,  as  will  be  plainly  seen  by 
the  drawing,  also  pass  through  the  batting  of  the  same  material,  which  overlaps  both  sides  of 
the  main  panels,  thus  giving  great  additional  strength  to  the  rigid  tubular  framework. 

Fig.  16  shows  the  manner  of  attaching  this  triple  casement  of  asbestos  and  hardened  steel 
to  the  upright  framework  of  an  ordinary  car,  the  edges  of  each  panel  being  beveled,  so  as  to 
smoothly  overlap  each  other,  the  bolts  passing  through  both  the  panels  and  framework. 

Fig.  17  shows  the  front  view  of  a  series  of  pigeon-holes,  or  various-sized  compartments 
for  the  better  protection  of  frail  packages.  For  instance,  it  is  desired  to  send  a  clock,  a  valuable 
model,  picture,  or  any  other  parcel,  easily  crushed  or  broken  if  put  in  the  usual  promiscuous 
pile  of  freight — it  can  be  placed  in  one  of  these  compartments  instead,  and  transported  with 
safety  to  any  distance.  A  card,  tacked  to  the  outer  side  of  the  door,  plainly  shows  to  the  agent 
where  the  package  is  to  be  left,  and,  when  arriving  at  the  proper  station,  can  be  found  and 
delivered  without  difficulty.  As  seen  by  the  drawing,  one  of  the  compartment  doors  is  swung 
open,  plainly  disclosing  the  packages  within.  These  compartments  are  held  rigidly  together 
by  the  longitudinal  boards  which  form  the  top  and  bottom  of  each,  the  whole  case  being  held 
rigidly  to  the  side  of  the  car  by  suitable  angle  irons.  If  desired,  tumbler-locks  may  be  added 
to  these  compartment  doors,  the  keys  to  which  locks  are  held  and  only  used  by  the  local 
agents,  so  that  parcels  put  within  cannot  be  stolen  or  interfered  with  in  transit. 

Fig.  18  is  a  plan  view  of  a  section  of  these  compartments,  one  door  being  swung  open. 


149 


152 


Page  153,  Fig.  1,  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  interior  of  a  printing  car,  showing  editorial 
desk  B,  type-setting  desks  and  racks  0,  paper  roll  J,  printing-press  D,  folding  table  E,  and 
receiver  F. 

In  this  remarkable  age  nothing  seems  impossible. 

By  the  subtle  agent,  electricity,  midnight  darkness  instantly  becomes  day;  the  happenings 
of  a  continent  or  the  world  are  brought  to  a  common  centre  or  distributed  at  will  as  quickly  as 
language  can  portray  their  meaning;  space  seems  to  be  eliminated  and  all  countries  and 
peoples  brought  into  common  communion ;  natural  agencies,  assisted  by  ingenious  artifice, 
are  converted  into  almost  unlimited  motive  power,  which,  in  turn,  is  widety  used  to  create 
and  distribute  commodities  of  every  character — skillfully  and  almost  intelligently  performing 
every  required  act,  one  of  its  most  important  missions  being  the  dissemination  of  useful 
knowledge,  principally  through  the  medium  of  its  right-hand  and  most  powerful  assistant, 
the  public  press.  And  the  object  of  this  invention  is  to  still  further  apply  these  great  "creative 
forces."  So  important  has  the  spreading  of  news  become,  that  the  great  dailies  own,  equip, 
and  send  out  swiftly-running  special  trains  expressly  to  deliver  the  product  of  their  local 
presses,  and  they  find  the  enterprise  a  paying  one,  even  though  it  entails  enormous  expense. 
But  the  plan  here  proposed  will  greatly  lessen  the  immense  outlay,  and  at  the  same  time  give 
to  the  patrons  along  the  way  even  later  news  than  is  possible  by  the  present  system. 

The  wires  owned  and  operated  by  each  road  can,  with  little  additional  cost,  furnish  the 
latest  developments  to  the  traveling  editor,  who  immediately  orders  the  same  set  in  type  and 
run  off  by  the  press  on  board  the  regular  train  in  form  of  supplements  to  the  main  sheet,  which 
is  of  course,  as  usual,  printed  in  New  York  or  other  large  cities.  These  train-presses  can  be 
run  by  either  the  natural  movement  of  the  car,  by  the  belt-pully  attached  to  the  truck-axle 
below,  or  by  special  mechanism  connected  with  the  locomotive,  and,  therefore,  very  little 
additional  expense  need  be  incurred  compared  with  the  great  advantage  of  practically  com- 
bining the  regular  papers  of  a  large  city  with  the  latest  items  of  local  and  foreign  news. 

Thus  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  or  Washington  papers  can  be  delivered  in  the 
West  at  even  dates  with  the  regular  morning  issue  bearing  all  the  customary  matter,  while 
the  essence  of  later  items  can  be  collected  and  added  as  above  described.  A  code  of  telegraphic 
shorthand  can  be  easily  arranged  which  will  greatly  condense  the  work  of  both  the  wires  and 
the  press,  and  at  the  same  time  give  expression  substantially  to  all  matters  of  interest.  Time 
was  when  one  monthly  or  weekly  paper  would  satisfy  a  whole  neighborhood ;  but  modern 
ideas  have  changed  all  this,  and  the  present  inordinate  thirst  for  the  latest  news,  accompanied 
by  a  readiness  on  the  part  of  people  to  pay  for  it,  will  fully  justify  whatever  outlay  is  necessary 
to  satiate  this  growing  desire.  The  mode  of  operating  is  plain.  For  example,  any  leading 
New  York  paper,  or  the  Associated  Press,  sends  out  a  fully  equipped  printing  car  attached  to 
the  regular  train  loaded  with  its  various  daily  journals;  naturally,  by  the  time  Ohio  is  reached, 
the  news  is  a  day  old,  and  though  there  is  much  interesting  matter  in  each,  and  the  desire  to 
read  them  very  great,  still  the  sale  is  limited  on  account  of  a  total  absence  of  events  occurring 
during  the  previous  twenty-four  hours.  But  by  this  means  the  New  York  parties  controlling 
the  car  know  exactly  its  schedule  time,  and  by  telegraph  can  deliver  to  the  traveling  editor  at 
each  station  along  the  route  whatever  is  new  or  interesting  since  the  train  started,  all  of  which 
is  printed  on  the  car  press  as  the  train  progresses,  and  the  supplements  so  produced  are  folded 
and  thrown  off  with  the  regular  bundle  to  each  local  dealer ;  and  thus  their  patrons  have  not 
only  a  full  and  interesting  daily  paper  direct  from  one  of  the  great  cities,  but,  in  addition,  a 
brief  and  pithy  resume  of  events  transpiring  up  to  within  a  few  minutes  of  going  to  press. 
And  probably  no  one  will  question  the  fact  that  the  average  circulation  would,  by  these 

additions,  be  enormously  increased,  and  the  intelligent  "  reading  public"  correspond- 
ingly gratified  by  being  thus  so  liberally  provided  for. 


153 


156 


K-* 


Page  157,  Fig.  2,  is  a  side  elevation  of  n  simple  and  effective  printing-press  for  railway 
cars.  It  consists  of  a  substantial  framework,  on  which  two  or  more  cylinders  are  properly 
journaled,  these  cylinders  being  impelled  by  a  flexible  belt,  connected  either  with  the  driving- 
pulley  on  the  truck  -axle  below  or  by  a  similar  connection  with  locomotive  mechanism,  suitable 
gear-wheels  at  the  end  of  each  cylinder,  meshing  into  each  other,  insuring  a  uniformity  of 
motion  to  all.  One  or  more  of  the  cylinders,  being  provided  with  the  required  type,  makes 
the  necessary  imprint  on  the  paper  as  it  passes  between  them  from  the  roll  .;',  each  rotation 
printing  a  paper  complete.  An  automatic  shear  at  the  end  of  the  press  framework,  moving  in 
harmony  with  the  cylinders,  clips  the  printed  page  from  the  roll  and  delivers  it  onto  the  table 
E,  where  expert  folders  receive  and  prepare  it  for  delivery  at  the  proper  stations  along  the 
way.  A  simple  automatic  device  for  reinking  the  type  forms  a  part  of  the  mechanism  of  each 
press.  The  speed  at  which  it  is  run  is  gauged,  not  by  the  speed  of  the  train,  which  naturally 
varies,  but  by  automatic  brakes  or  special  appliances;  the  whole  apparatus  being  so  simple, 
however,  that  it  can  be  operated  at  a  much  more  rapid  rate  than  those  in  common  use,  and 
thus  insures  a  more  prompt  delivery  of  finished  work  than  has  hitherto  been  considered 
possible. 

Fig.  3  is  a  top  plan  view  of  the  same  press,  the  paper  from  the  roll  j  passing  beneath  the 
cylinder  h,  where  it  receives  its  proper  impress  and  passes  on  to  the  shear  o,  which  severs  it 
from  the  main  roll,  as  already  described. 


157 


i6o 


ot. 

many  good  men  and  excellent  mechanics  are  reduced  to  penury  by  sickness  or  other 
misfortunes,  and  driven  almost  to  desperation  by  the  absence  of  any  possible  hope  of  providing 
for  their  families.  The  stifling  and  unwholesome  tenements  in  which  they  are  frequently  com- 
pelled to  exist  —  their  children  surrounded  by  the  ignorant,  vicious,  and  depraved  —  afford  but 
little  encouragement  to  the  poor  fellows,  who,  no  matter  how  industrious  they  may  be,  find 
their  scanty  means  exhausted,  and  their  little  ones  and  themselves  in  the  same  almost  hopeless 
condition  at  the  end  of  every  year.  But  a  plan  infinitely  better  for  both  employer  and  em- 
ployed is  quite  as  easy  to  realize,  if  proper  steps  are  taken,  than  the  simple  giving  out  of  work 
without  any  regard  to  what  becomes  of  the  employe  after  working  hours. 

A  factory,  located  some  distance  from  the  busy  centres,  can,  with  little  cost,  be  surrounded 
by  neat  and  comfortable  cottages,  which  can  be  readily  sold  to  industrious  and  honest  work- 
men, and  paid  for  by  suitable  reservations  from  the  daily  or  weekly  wages.  This  gives  to  the 
provident  laborer  not  only  a  place  to  stay,  but  an  actual  home,  with  something  to  live  for,  and 
insures  to  the  employer  a  sober  and  efficient  workman,  the  mutuality  of  interests  being  easily 
understood  by  all  ;  and  few  will  venture  to  question  the  fact  that  a  workman  so  surrounded 
and  provided  for  is  not  only  a  better  man,  but  a  far  more  trustworthy  and  profitable  employe, 
insuring  to  the  employer  a  better  class  of  finished  goods  and  also  a  certainty  of  completed  tasks 
within  a  specified  time.  Too  much,  in  fact,  cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  such  a  system.  With 
judicious  management  and  very  little  outlay  on  the  part  of  the  employer,  self-supporting 
libraries  and  other  laudable  places  for  instruction  and  pleasure  can  be  added  to  the  general 
plan,  and  an  harmonious  and  industrious  community  bnilt  up,  in  which  discontent  would  be 
comparatively  rare  and  strikes  or  acts  of  violence  next  to  impossible.  The  humanizing 
influences  of  such  surroundings  cannot  be  overestimated,  for  even  the  most  depraved  of  men 
are  susceptible  in  some  degree  to  refining  influences,  and  this  is  especially  the  case  with  a  class 
intelligent  enough  to  adopt  the  calling  of  "  practical  mechanics."  Nothing  can  be  lost,  but 
much  will  be  gained,  by  agreeable  surroundings,  and  if  the  grounds  about  the  premises  are 
properly  laid  out  and  tastily  arranged,  a  volunteer  contingent  from  the  regular  working  force 
can  always  be  depended  upon  to  cheerfully  devote  an  hour  or  so  after  working  hours,  free  of 
cost,  to  keep  them  in  order,  thus  entailing  no  additional  expense  on  the  employer,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  also  a  pleasant  rivalry,  in  keeping  individual  grounds  in  attractive  condition,  can 
easily  be  stimulated  and  maintained,  and  all  these  little  attentions  contribute  very  materially, 
not  only  to  individual  happiness  and  comfort,  but  largely  to  the  general  appearance  of  thrift 
and  contentment,  and  it  is  found  that  the  order  and  necessary  discipline  of  a  factory  is  much 
more  easily  and  satisfactorily  maintained  where  the  employes  come  to  their  daily  work  in  a 
pleasant  and  contented  frame  of  mind.  But  the  greatest  of  all  advantages  to  be  thus  gained 
is  the  keeping  up  of  a  wholesome  and  active  condition  of  both  mind  and  body,  for  in  every 
large  collection  of  intelligent  workmen  there  are  many  who,  even  if  not  practical  inventors, 
are  men  of  progressive  intellects,  and  their  various  and  useful  suggestions  as  to  the  mode  of 
doing  this  or  that  work,  and  their  ingenious  devices  for  saving  labor,  will  often  lead  to  valuable 
changes,  and,  not  infrequently,  to  a  great  lessening  in  cost  of  manufacturing,  and,  as  this  is  a 
progressive  age,  this  feature  is  well  worth  considering,  and  whenever  and  wherever  humanizing 
influences  are  exerted  and  a  unity  of  interests  established  the  general  result  is  favorable  to  all 
concerned. 


162 


The  plan  of  the  factory,  as  shown  on  page  163,  is  500  feet  front ;  main  extensions  the  same 
length,  and  each  50  feet  wide  and  four  stories  high,  the  inner  extensions  being  each  40  by  200 
feet,  two  stories  high.  Foundry,  70  by  200  feet,  one  story.  Engine-house,  60  by  120  feet,  one 
story  high,  with  tunnel  connections  extending  to  each  department,  through  which  power  is 
communicated  to  all  from  the  "  Central  Motor."  This  gives  a  total  floor  area  of  over  350,000 
square  feet,  or  ample  room  for  over  4,000  workmen. 

By  the  usual  standard  of  calculation,  this  number  of  men  would  bring  a  resident  popula- 
tion of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand,  which,  of  itself,  if  intelligently  conducted,  would  be 
not  only  an  industrious  and  important  community,  but  in  fact  a  model  city  of  substantial 
growtli,  and  as  enduring  as  the  great  railroad  interest  for  which  it  was  created. 

And  no  one  will  now  dispute  the  fact  that  railroading,  taken  as  a  unity  in  enterprise,  is 
the  leading  industry  of  the  Age,  unquestionably  wielding  a  greater  and  more  widely  extended 
influence  than  any  other  known  agency,  opening  up  vaster  territories  to  the  progress  of  civili- 
zation, bringing  to  uncounted  communities  greater  luxury  and  wealth,  and  to  individuals  more 
fabulous  fortunes  than  even  the  "  dreamers"  dared  to  contemplate  before  this  prosperous  Era 
began.  And  whoever  can  add  to  the  efficiency  of  this  wonderful  system,  or  stimulate  its 
wholesome  growth  by  protecting  its  property  or  shielding  from  danger  the  numberless  lives 
intrusted  to  its  care,  is  a  practical  public  benefactor,  clearly  entitled  to,  and  should  receive,  not 
only  reasonable  recompense,  but,  in  addition,  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  world. 

/  W. 

NEW  YORK,  September,  1887. 


163 


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